For Honor pits samurai, knights and vikings together in fight to the death
For Honor is a unique pitch: what if samurai, knights and vikings all put aside the fact they belong to entirely separate historical eras and got together to smack one another about in a giant fighting game.
This new title from Ubisoft straddles multiple genres. It’s a tactical and in-depth fighting game, it’s a third-person action-combat brawler, and it’s a persistent online multiplayer experience. For Honor is Ubisoft attempting something new, while also never straying far from old tropes. The result is, well, a little odd.
One thing’s for sure, For Honor looks absolutely amazing. Playing on PS4 Pro, the game pops with an attention to detail that seriously impresses. With three factions to choose from – knights, vikings and samurai – you get a host of different characters to play as and locations to play in, and the artistry behind all of it is incredible. From crumbling cathedrals to snowy peaks and grand Asian temples, For Honor’s world is breathtaking, even if its lacklustre single player story isn’t.
But it’s clear that solo play is not the focus here. Instead, multiplayer offers several different modes, the best of which is Duel. For Honor is built on top of a deep combat system, which ties together responsive attack and defense mechanics to provide toe-to-toe duelling action between two players.
It’s an absolute thrill to fight against another player, risking everything in the final round to get in that one game-winning jab that’ll net you the victory, and round after round you’ll come back for more to see how long you can continue your winning streak.
Sadly, the combat doesn’t always hold up. In other modes, like the 4v4 Deathmatch, it can often devolve into a flurry of hacking and slashing as you pray you’ll hit something and avoid anyone else hitting you. Occasionally you’ll have a thrilling match where you’ll manage to fend off two players singlehandedly, but this is rare.
The end result is a strange and sometimes mixed game, but one that has flashes of greatness.